"'Real Alchemy' is just what the title promises. It is the first
(and so far only) book I have ever read on the subject that translates
this sacred art and science from metaphor to in-your-face, hands-on
objective reality. If I would have read this 35 years ago I would have
taken up the alchemist's work in a heartbeat." - Lon Milo Duquette,
Hermetic scholar

"Real Alchemy - A Primer of Practical Alchemy by Robert Allen
Bartlett is a book that many have waited a long time for. Clean, clear,
simple, and easy to read, it provides a foundation in the theory and
method of producing plant products, and transitions the reader-student
into the basics of mineral work - or what some consider the true domain
of Alchemy. New students to practical laboratory alchemy will enjoy
reading Real Alchemy, and hopefully will find the encouragement needed
to undertake their own alchemical journey." - Mark Stavish, The
Institute for Hermetic Studies, author of The Path of Alchemy -
Energetic Healing and the World of Natural Magic

The book before you is an
amazing accomplishment in many ways. My friend and fellow alchemist Robert
Bartlett has laid bare the secret processes and experiments of our discipline
with exceptional clarity and openness. He has exposed the Hermetic origins of
alchemy and shown how modern alchemists approach the ancient art. But first and
foremost, his book is a revelation of the genuine craft of alchemy as it was
meant to be practiced.

While the work of Carl Jung
and others have underscored the archetypal power and universal significance of
alchemical symbols, alchemy itself is much more than a psychological commentary
on the nature of the human psyche. It is true that alchemy reflects the highest
aspirations of the human soul, for our gold has always symbolized the hastened
perfection of man as well as matter. However, any alchemist worth his salt
knows that lasting transformation only takes place when the work is accomplished
on all levels of reality – the mental, the spiritual, and the physical. The
Great Work is actual work to be done with the hands, the heart, and the
soul, and not just understood with the mind.

A medieval alchemist brought
back to our era would be highly amused at the endless discussions among modern
theorists as to the nature and depth of alchemy or its sudden blossoming in the
offices of psychiatrists and New Age counselors. “Has no one ever tried
it?” he would ask incredulously. “What good is such understanding without its
practical application in the world?”

No alchemist in history ever
thought the Secret Art was solely a mental discipline. The work of
transformation takes place in the real world. Yet alchemy is not chemistry.
Chemistry is a superficial science that deals only with the external forms in
which the elements manifest. A chemist seeks to rearrange atoms and molecules to
exhibit different properties of the same dead material. An alchemist seeks to
create an entirely new substance by exposing its essences, bringing them alive,
and causing them to grow.

When an alchemist performs a laboratory experiment, it is the culmination of
careful planning to find the right timing and personal purification to create
the sacred space in which the transformation can take place. The alchemist
becomes an ingredient in his own experiment, and his intention and passion
contribute to the outcome. He suffers as the essences are teased and tortured
from the substance, and he is elated when the hidden spark of truth brings the
dead matter back to life on a new level of being.

Admittedly, this is a strange way of looking at laboratory work in a
materialistic, industrialized world, and there are many prejudices the modern
mind must overcome to accept the possibility that alchemy is real. Yet perhaps,
after reading this book with a free heart and open mind, you might find an
ancient voice speaking to you through the drone of appliances, engines, and
commercial broadcasts that make up our environment. The voice will whisper: But
have you tried it?

Dennis William Hauck is an author,
consultant, and lecturer working to facilitate personal and institutional
transformation through the application of the ancient principles of alchemy. As
one of the world's few practicing alchemists, he writes and lectures on the
universal principles of physical, psychological, and spiritual perfection to a
wide variety of audiences that range from scientists and business leaders to
religious and New Age groups. Hauck's interest in alchemy began while he was
still in graduate school at the University of Vienna, and he has since
translated a number of important alchemy manuscripts dating back to the
thirteenth century. He is the editor of the Alchemy Journal and on the board of
directors of the International Alchemy Guild. Hauck has been interviewed on nearly four hundred radio and TV programs,
including such popular national shows as "NPR's Morning Edition," "Sally Jessy
Raphael," "Geraldo," "A&E Unexplained," "Sightings," "Extra," and "CNN Reports."
He also serves as a special consultant to a several leading film production
companies and a number of popular television programs. His bestselling book, The
Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation (Penguin Putnam 1999),
presents startling new revelations about the mysterious "time capsule of wisdom"
that inspired over 3,500 years of alchemy. His latest book, The Sorcerer’s
Stone: A Beginner’s Guide to Alchemy(Citadel Press,
2004), is an entertaining introduction to both practical and spiritual alchemy.
He latest book is The Complete Idiots Guide to Alchemy (Penguin, April
2008).